South Dakota: Badlands and Missiles on the Prairie 🌄🚀

Besides Mount Rushmore, South Dakota’s most famous attractions are its two national parks. Just an hour’s drive east from Rapid City lies Badlands National Park. Along I-90, you can also visit a museum dedicated to nuclear history: Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. 📍 Badlands National Park 🏜️ Exploring the Badlands is easy—simply drive along the main road that cuts through the northern section of the park. Numerous pull-offs and overlooks allow you to choose trails and viewpoints at your own pace. If you take Exit 131 off I-90, you’ll enter the park and soon reach the Big Badlands Overlook—your first iconic view of the dramatic landscape! 🪨 A bit further down the road, on the left, a large parking area gives access to two easy and rewarding trails: Door Trail 🚪 Window Trail 🪟 Both offer an up-close experience with the unique eroded formations. Make a stop at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center 🏛️, where you can explore exhibits and chat with park rangers about the geology and wildlife of the area. 🦅🐾 Continue driving and hop out at any overlook that catches your eye—the road eventually loops back to I-90. For stargazers 🌌, the remote park offers fantastic night skies. You can camp onsite or stay at the park lodge. The South Unit of the park lies within a Native American reservation and sees fewer visitors. Part of this area was used for bombing practice during WWII 💣, and though cleaned up, unexploded ordnance may still remain. More about this history is shared at the Minuteman Missile site. 📍 Minuteman Missile NHS ☢️ *“Minuteman Missiles: 30-minute global delivery.”* 🚀 During the Cold War, the U.S. built missile silos across the Great Plains. Today, you can visit the Delta-09 silo (exterior only) right off I-90. Nearby, the Delta-01 silo remains operational, and ranger-led tours are available by reservation. The visitor center and exhibit hall—same exit (131) as the Badlands’ northeast entrance—delve into the ideology and history behind these deployments. Some stories are best experienced in person. The museum is free! 🎫 #Nature #ScenicViews #Museum #TravelUSA #SouthDakota #Badlands #MinutemanMissile 🌅🇺🇸